In Sickness and in Health
by so lost so broken
Summary: After a long day of college classes, Arthur returns to his shared dorm room with his boyfriend, only to find that Merlin has gotten very ill. Arthur, being the kind, loving boyfriend he is, takes care of Merlin until he is once again better.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

**Summary: After a long day of college classes, Arthur returns to his shared dorm room with his boyfriend, only to find that Merlin has gotten very ill. Arthur, being the kind, loving boyfriend he is, takes care of Merlin until he is once again better.**

**Warnings: Male/male, sick!Merlin, a hint of vomit and fluff up the wahzoo.**

_Large Paragraph of Italics= Flashback_

**XOXOXOXO**

Arthur Pendragon let out a huge sigh of relief as his last college class was released. This week had brought on a lot more homework than the previous week, so Arthur was glad that it was Friday. That meant he could catch up on his work, as well as spend time with Merlin.

_Merlin._

At the thought of his sweet boyfriend, Arthur's footsteps picked up a faster pace, tunring him down 5th street towards their shared dorm.

Usually the two would walk to their classes together in the mornings, fingers laced together, and repeat the process on the way back home. However, this morning when Arthur had shut off the alarm, he had been in for a slight shock.

_Arthur yawned and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand before reaching over and bopping the offensive noise to make it stop blaring. He blearily looked at the time through his squinted eyes and sighed. Sure enough, it was time to get up and go to class._

_Arthur propped himself up on an elbow and took a couple minutes to look down at his boyfriend, lightly tracing the cords of his spine with his fingertips. Merlin was curled in a ball against Arthur's chest, his dark locks fanned around his innocent child-like face. His pink lips were parted ever so slightly, releasing small puffs of breath against Arthur's exposed right nipple._

_Arthur's fingers left Merlin's back in exchange for gently running the pad of his thumb across one of Merlin's elegantly sculpted cheekbones, shivering a little at the feel of the fair, smooth flesh._

_Arthur wrapped his arm around the sleeping boys waist in a secure hold, carefully rolling them over so his muscular form was lightly resting atop of Merlin's. Due to the small movement, Merlin's eyelashes fluttered and he mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath before letting out a light sigh. Arthur smiled down at the cute sight of his boyfriend slipping back into dreamland._

_Arthur gently brushed a few stray locks of hair off of Merlin's forehead before tenderly placing a kiss to the sleep-warmed skin. Then he moved down to gently nuzzle the soft skin of Merlin's neck, brushing a light kiss across his jaw._

_He moved even lower, carefully tilting Merlin's head back with strong, gentle hands, and started to suckle the beautiful patch of Merlin's exposed throat. He smirked against the skin when he heard Merlin let out a soft noise before a small hand came to thread itself in the back of his blonde hair._

_Arthur pulled back after giving the skin one more gentle scrape of teeth, and looked into the deep, blue eyes that he loved. He let out a soft laugh at the unfocused look on Merlin's face and pressed a deep kiss to the parted lips, rolling back onto his side so he wouldn't accidentally crush him._

_He softly stroked Merlin's cheek as the blue eyes stared at him._

_"Good morning, precious," Arthur whispered warmly._

_Merlin just whimpered in reply and proceeded to bury his face into Arthur's broad chest. Arthur chuckled and placed a kiss to the top of Merlin's head._

_"It's time to get up, Merlin. You don't want to be late for class again, do you?" Arthur teased, his fingers stroking Merlin's exposed arm in a soothing manner. _

_Merlin just let out another whimper before mumbling something against Arthur's chest._

_"What was that, sweetheart? I didn't quite understand that."_

_Merlin pulled back an inch from Arthur's warm, bare chest. "I said that I don't feel very good. I think you got me sick."_

_Arthur's forehead creased with worry. He pressed the back of his hand against Merlin's forehead, feeling the warmer than usual skin._

_"I think you're right. You have a slight fever. Huh, out of the four years we've been together, I don't think I've _ever _seen you sick."_

_Merlin looked up at him with glassy eyes and gave a huff of a laugh, wincing slightly. He pressed his forehead into the curve of Arthur's neck._

_"M'hot," he mumbled._

_Arthur snickered. "Merlin, you know I give off heat like a furnace. If you're hot, the last thing you should do is cuddle with me."_

_Arthur felt Merlin shake his head against his neck._

_"You're neck feels nice and cool against my head."_

_Arthur kissed his temple, inhaling the familiar scent of Merlin's shampoo and the faint smell of sex from the night before._

_"You're not well enough to go to school today," Arthur pointed out. "I'll stay here and look after you."_

_"No Arthur," Merlin protested, pulling away from Arthur's lovely smelling neck to weakly roll onto his back. "You need to go to class. I can take care of myself."_

_"Merlin-" Arthur started to say, then was abruptly cut off._

_"Arthur, I know you have an important paper due for Bio. Please, go hand it in. There's no sense in both of us staying in for the day when you're perfectly fine."_

_Arthur sighed as he lovingly looked down at the beautiful young man who had captured his heart the first time he had laid eyes on him. He ran a hand through Merlin's hair, making Merlin close his eyes and let out a 'mmmm' sound._

_He pressed a quick kiss to the pouty lips and sighed._

_"Ok, Merlin. I can't say no to you. However, I _will _be making you something to eat in case you get hungry later. That way all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave. Kay?"_

_Merlin gave him a tired smile and nodded, earning himself another kiss to the forehead from Arthur._

_The blonde got up from the bed and quickly put on a pair of jeans and a shirt, running a hand through his hair before brushing his teeth with rapid speed. He then moved on to the kitchen and grabbed a can of chicken noodle soup, popping the lid off and dumping it into Merlin's favorite blue bowl. He placed it on the front shelf of the fridge, setting an open package of crackers along beside it._

_Opening the cupboard next to the fridge, he grabbed a tall, plastic cup and filled it with up with cold water. He carried it into the bedroom and set it on the little table next to the bed where Merlin could easily roll over and grab it._

_He grabbed his backpack off of the floor before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He reached over to Merlin and hooked his arms underneath his bare back, pulling him up into a sitting position. Merlin gave him a small smile as he wrapped his thin arms around Arthur's neck in a hug. Arthur hugged back, one arm arond his boyfriends waist and the other tangling with his dark hair._

_Arthur couldn't help himself as he placed a bunch of tiny kisses to Merlin's cheeks, forehead and lips, trying to make him feel better with the loving touches. Merlin lightly giggled, making Arthur's heart feel a bit more lighter._

_"Feel better, sweetheart. And _please _drink that whole glass of water," Arthur cooed, nuzzling the side of Merlin's feverish face with his nose._

_"I will. Thank you, Arthur," Merlin replied as Arthur carefully laid him back against the comfy mattress, tucking the covers in around him._

_With that, Arthur went and grabbed his jacket off of the coatrack before walking out of the door towards the college._

As much as Arthur hadn't wanted to leave Merlin's side earlier, he realized that it was a good thing he did. It gave him a good chance to go to the little drugstore on the corner of the street and purchase a bottle of Ibuprofen. He knew from experience from the week before that the lovely pills tended to break fevers. Unfortunately, he had used the last few himself, forcing him to go purchase some more.

He stopped in front of the familiar door number 149 and fumbled with his keys, feeling victorious as he used the right key on the first try. As he closed the door behind him, he dug in his pocket for the bottle of pills and set them on the table. He then opened the fridge and went to grab the jug of apple juice sitting on the bottom shelf, but his hand stopped in mid air when he realized that Merlin's soup and crackers had remained untouched.

He cast a worried glance toward the doorway of their bedroom, quickly grabbing the juice to pour into a small cup for Merlin to take with the medicine. He plopped a couple of the pills into his hand and swiped the cup from the counter, walking briskly into the bedroom.

His heart clenched at the sight before him. At some point, the raven-haired boy had put on Arthur's large blue sweatshirt and was now curled in a ball underneath the warm blankets. He had the hood up around his face, blocking Arthur's view of Merlin's locks of hair. Even from standing in the doorway, it was obvious that Merlin was shivering.

Arthur silently made his way over to the bedside table and set down the items in his hands, a feeling of relief filling him as he saw that all of the water from the earlier cup was gone.

He carefully sat down on the bed, toeing his shoes off, and slipped underneath the covers to lay on his side next to his shivering boyfriend. He stroked the smooth skin of Merlin's forehead, causing Merlin to make a small noise and sluggishly open his eyes. His usually beautiful, bright eyes were glazed and unfocused, and his normally pale face was flushed with heat.

"Oh, Merlin," Arthur sighed sadly. "That's the last time I listen to you when it comes to your health. I should have stayed home."

Merlin gave him a weak smile, trying to scoot closer to Arthur's warm body. Knowing what he wanted, Arthur got into a sitting position and gently lifted Merlin up by the armpits, pulling him into his lap. Arthur pulled the covers once more around his boyfriends shaking body while Merlin buried his face into Arthur's neck.

Arthur kissed the top of Merlin's hood-covered hair as he felt his forehead, noticing it had grown warmer over the hours he had been gone.

"Didn't you eat anything today, sweetheart?" Arthur whispered against Merlin's now exposed temple.

Arthur felt him shake his head.

"Whenever I try to stand up I get really dizzy," Merlin mumbled. "I feel useless."

Arthur smiled, his arms tightening their hold on Merlin's waist.

"Good. That means I get to take care of you," he teased, earning himself a small nudge from Merlin's sharp elbow. "I brought you some Ibuprofen to take with a bit of apple juice. I want you to take it now, ok?"

"Mmhmm," Merlin hummed, causing him to break into a coughing fit. Arthur patted his back until the coughs died down, then he carefully leaned over Merlin's body and grabbed the pills and cup. He settled the cup next to his right leg as his fingers gently coaxed Merlin's lips open, depositing the two small, white capsules onto his tongue. Merlin reached over and grabbed the cup with shaky hands, Arthur helping him bring it to his lips.

Arthur watched as Merlin sipped on the cold juice, closing his eyes and letting out a soft moan. Arthur rose an eyebrow in amusement, taking the cup from him when it was gone. He then wiped away a small dribble that escaped Merlin's lips with the pad of his thumb.

After placing the cup back onto the small table, Arthur gathered Merlin into his arms once more and laid back so that the sick boy was resting comfortably on his chest. Merlin sighed and just barely grazed his lips over the tender flesh of Arthur's neck.

"Thanks," he mumbled, feeling sleepy once more.

Arthur stroked his cheek softly and hummed a couple of melodies, watching Merlin as his breathing evened out and fell into a restless sleep.

Arthur couldn't help but smile lightly as he cradled him a bit tighter to his chest, sighing in contentment as he closed his eyes and quickly followed suit.

**XOXOXOXO**

Arthur slowly drifted back to conciousness as he felt a body wiggling next to his. He opened his eyes to see Merlin sitting up, sluggishly trying to pull the large sweater off of his body. Arthur quickly sat up and pushed Merlin's hands away so he could help him pull it off. Once that was accomplished, Merlin curled a hand around his lower belly, his face pinching into a sour look.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked with worry, running a hand through Merlin's messy hair.

"Sat up too fast," Merlin mumbled, inhaling a sharp breath before his eyes grew wide. "I'm gonna puke." He covered his mouth with his hand as he gagged once, causing Arthur to quickly jump out of the bed and scoop Merlin into his arms bridal style before carrying him to the bathroom. Arthur mentally apologized to the boy in his arms, hoping that the sudden movement would not upset his stomach too much more.

He nudged the seat open with his foot before gently setting Merlin down in front of it on his knees, Arthur sitting behind him with a hand rubbing circles into the naked flesh of Merlin's abdomen.

Merlin gripped the edges of the toilet bowl with both hands, gagging twice more before the little contents he had in his stomach finally came up, which due to lack of food, was mostly water and juice. Arthur held tight to Merlin, giving comforting kisses to the back of his neck as Merlin's body tried fighting off it's sickness.

"That's it, sweetheart," Arthur whispered soothingly into his ear. "You'll feel better once it's over."

Eventually Merlin's belly ran empty, causing the flushed boy to dry-heave repeatedly. After his last gag, he slumped back against Arthur's chest and let out a noise that sounded like a small sob. Arthur just held the trembling boy, running a hand through his now sweaty locks.

After a couple of quiet minutes, Arthur broke the silence by asking, "Do you feel any better?"

Merlin sniffled quietly, weakly nodding his head yes a moment later. "A little bit."

Arthur carefully stood them both up, arms wrapped around his boyfriends waist to keep him from falling over. Merlin raised his arm and pointed over towards his toothbrush, telling Arthur he wanted to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

Merlin gripped an edge of the counter with one hand as he vigorously scrubbed at his teeth and tongue, Arthur hovering behind him in case he lost balance. As Arthur waited for him to finish, he glanced up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was nearly two in the morning. He did a double take, surprised at how long the two of them had slept.

As Merlin wiped the toothpaste from his face with the back of his hand, Arthur hooked his thumbs underneath the rim of his sweatpants and drew them down Merlin's pale thighs.

Merlin let out a small moan and stopped Arthur's hands with his own.

"Arthur, I don't think sex is a good idea right now," he muttered.

Arthur let out a small laugh. "I know that, Merlin. I'm removing your clothes so you can take a shower. We need to break that fever of yours."

"Oh," Merlin answered, letting Arthur's hands continue on with their task. Once Arthur had rid Merlin of his bottoms, he drew his own shirt off over his head and stepped out of the jeans he was still wearing from earlier. He then stepped over to the shower and turned it on full blast, suppressing the urge to flinch at the cooler than usual temperature.

He held his hand out for Merlin to take, and the raven-haired man did so, allowing Arthur to pull him under the cool stream. As Arthur quickly shut the shower-curtain, Merlin gasped and clung to Arthur's front, blinking the water out from his eyes.

"It's f-freezing," Merlin stated through chattering teeth. Arthur just pressed a kiss to his forehead before dipping the shorter boys head back under the spray to get his hair wet.

"Arthur!" Merlin squealed, spitting out some water from his mouth. "I'm going to freeze to death!"

Arthur laughed as he turned them around so that his own back was to the cool spray, shielding Merlin's from the water. As Merlin rubbed the water from his eyes, Arthur squirted some of his shampoo into the palm of his hand and massaged it through Merlin's silky hair.

"You're not going to freeze, Merlin. It isn't even that cold. It's just a little below luke-warm. Now stop squirming so I don't get shampoo in your eye."

Merlin obeyed, too tired to argue. Arthur lathered his hair nicely until there were small bubbles, then decided a nice rinse would be good. Arthur once again tipped Merlin's head back and washed away all the shampoo, releasing a shiver from Merlin's body.

Next, Arthur slowly washed Merlin's body with soap, making sure to clean every inch of his pale skin. Arthur laid gentle kisses on Merlin's neck as a sudsy finger dipped down between Merlin's cheeks, rubbing lightly against the small opening nestled there. Merlin whimpered at the intimate ministrations and buried his face into Arthur's neck.

Arthur smiled against his temple, grudgingly removing his finger from one of his favorite places. As he finished rinsing off Merlin's body, Arthur shut the water off and grabbed the fluffy, yellow towels that were sitting on the counter. He wrapped one around his waist and the other around Merlin's body like one big cocoon, picking him up and carrying him back to their bedroom.

Gently depositing him into the middle of the bed, he leaned back and smiled.

"Now, that wasn't too cold, was it? I see you haven't froze to death."

A faint smile appeared on Merlin's lips as he shook his head.

"No, it wasn't." A couple seconds of silence followed before Merlin spoke up again. "Do you think... you could get me that food now? I feel like I'm starving."

Arthur cradled Merlin's face in his hands and planted a kiss to the soft, pink lips.

"You know I will," Arthur confirmed, pulling back the blankets to allow Merlin to crawl underneath. Arthur pulled away the towel from Merlin's body and quickly dried his black hair so it wouldn't soak the pillow. He then pulled on some pajama pants and made his way to the kitchen, heating up the food in the microwave and filling another cup with water. He quickly swallowed down some leftover pasta from a few days ago while the soup was heating, then returned to the bedroom.

"Here you go, love," Arthur cooed, slipping under the blankets next to his boyfriend. Merlin struggled into a sitting position, leaning against Arthur's shoulder as the older male held the bowl of soup in his lap. Merlin calmed his shaky hand enough to spoon the rich, warm liquid down his throat, moaning at the taste. As soon as the soup hit his stomach, it was like a switch had been flipped, making him even more hungry.

Arthur watched as Merlin devoured the whole bowl in mere minutes, taking the time to even tip the bowl back against his lips to make sure he had gotten every last drop.

Arthur held out the sleeve of crackers, making Merlin smile as he grabbed them, munching on a couple.

"I feel helpless," Merlin muttered, spraying a few crumbs as he spoke.

The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched into a smile as he watched the crumbs land on the blanket, somehow finding the action oddly adorable.

Swiping them away with his hand, he looked back into Merlin's glassy eyes.

"Generally that's how most people feel when they're as sick as you are," Arthur teased, making Merlin scrunch his nose in distaste.

"Maybe," Merlin sighed. A small blush appeared on his cheeks as a sheepish expression crossed his facial features. "I just... I don't like bothering you."

"Bothering me?" Arthur asked confused.

Merlin gave a small nod. "I don't want you to feel obligated to look after me because I'm sick. After twenty years of living, I should be able to manage on my own without the help of- oof!"

Arthur had pushed Merlin onto his back, his own muscular body covering the smaller one. He cradled Merlin's face in his hands as he looked down at him with a serious expression.

"Merlin Emrys," he said sternly, making Merlin feel a bit like a naughty puppy. "You better get those thoughts out of that pretty little head of yours right now, otherwise drastic measures will have to be taken."

A small smile worked it's way onto Merlin's lips. "Drastic measures? Like what?"

Arthur smirked wickedly. "I just may have to spank you."

Merlin couldn't help but let out a loud laugh, Arthur doing the same. However, the comical moment died when Merlin's laughs turned into a serious coughing fit, causing Arthur to spring up and reach for the glass of water. He helped Merlin sit up, pushing the glass against his lips once the coughing had subsided. Once Merlin had gulped some down, he pushed it away, chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath.

Arthur hurriedly set the glass down and slipped his arms around Merlin's waist, settling them both down comfortably on the mound of pillows.

"Sorry," Arthur murmured, grazing his lips over the tip of Merlin's ear.

"S'not you're fault," Merlin whispered, trailing his fingers down Arthur's torso, playing with the dusting of blonde chest hair.

Arthur stopped the movement with his hand before gently saying, "Hey, look at me."

Merlin raised his blue eyes to meet Arthur's, finding them to be filled with a tender warmth of love.

"I don't want you to _ever _think that you're a bother to me, Merlin. I love you with my whole heart, and I'm never going to stop taking care of you. Besides," Arthur flashed Merlin a sexy grin. "I think you're adorable when you're sick. It just may be one of my new favorite kinks."

Merlin widened his eyes in horror, but huffed a small laugh at Arthur's playful smile.

"Well don't expect me to fulfill that kink of yours. I hate whatever this is you gave to me, and I really hope it never comes back," Merlin replied weakly, not bothering to comment on the more intimate part of Arthur's words since they both knew that they were true.

Arthur just smiled softly before leaning down and pressing his lips gently against Merlin's, licking at the seam separating his tongue from Merlin's. Merlin shoved at Arthur's chest with a weak hand, breaking lip contact with a wet, smacking sound.

"Arthur, you shouldn't kiss me while I'm sick."

Arthur laughed. "I'm the one who got you sick in the first place, therefore I can't get sick again."

Merlin rolled his eyes but smirked in amusement. "Somehow I don't think it works that way."

"Fine," Arthur sighed dramatically. "I'll kiss your neck instead." With that, he nuzzled his nose into the soft spot just below Merlin's ear, flicking the tip of his tongue over a mark he had put there a few days before.

Merlin squealed at the ticklish sensation, tangling his hand in Arthur's hair with a weak grip. Arthur pulled away and stared down at Merlin with a smile.

"Sorry, I can't help myself."

Merlin let out a weak moan as Arthur sucked gently on the same patch of skin.

"Oh yes," Merlin teased. "I can see that you're really trying to hold yourself back."

Arthur smiled against the warm skin but kept pressing tender kisses to Merlin's neck. His sister Morgana had once teased him long ago about being too much of a 'romantic,' and he realized that she was right, for he would gladly just lay in bed all day and kiss every inch of his boyfriends beautiful skin. Him and Merlin had both tried it once on a weekend, but after about five minutes of Arthur worshipping Merlin's body, the smaller boy was squirming and staring at him with lustful eyes that were begging Arthur to fuck him. And as much as Arthur loved kissing Merlin, he was not going to turn down great sex.

Arthur's lips trailed all the way down to Merlin's bare chest before his eyes flickered to Merlin's face. Arthur held back a laugh as he realized that Merlin had fallen asleep due to the gentle ministrations.

Arthur crawled back up Merlin's body, pressing the back of his hand to the pale forehead. Arthur sighed as he realized the fever was still strong. He pushed the dark locks away from his boyfriends forehead, placing a gentle kiss to it before snuggling up to the sleeping body.

He stayed up for a good half hour, tenderly stroking Merlin's hair and cheek. The slow rhythm made him drowsy until he finally closed his eyes again and drifted off into a light sleep.

**XOXOXOXO**

Arthur lightly frowned in his sleep as he felt a heavy weight across his chest. He drowsily opened his eyes and looked down, only to find Merlin's head resting on top of his heart, his arm thrown carelessly over Arthur's stomach. He had pushed the blankets down to his knees, leaving his pale upper body exposed.

"Oh!" Arthur whispered at his realization, carefully feeling the skin of Merlin's forehead for what seemed like the hundredth time in the span of two days. A wide grin broke out on his face the moment he knew that Merlin's fever was broken.

As much as he wanted to shout in joy for the fact that Merlin was feeling better, he opted for the quieter option of the two, which was to let Merlin sleep peacefully for the first time in a few days.

With that, Arthur let out a happy sigh and snuggled closer to his boyfriend before drifting off once more.

**XOXOXOXO**

"What time is it?" Merlin asked in a breathy tone, breaking off into a gasp on the last word.

Arthur groaned as he slowly rolled his hips, making Merlin let out a whimper and cling to the arm of their sofa.

"_Mer_lin," Arthur moaned, clutching the pale hips underneath him a bit tighter. "I'm in the middle of making love to you. I really don't think that _now _is a good time to ask that question."

Merlin just giggled in response before pushing backwards, meeting Arthur's gentle thrusts. After a few moments, he frowned as a wine escaped his throat. He threw a glance over his shoulder, only to lock eyes with Arthur's.

"Why are you going so slow?" he moaned, trying to push back at a faster pace. His frustration increased as Arthur just held on to his hips even tighter, allowing them to only go at the blonde's pace.

"Because I don't want to upset your stomach. The last thing I want to do is make you barf while we're having sex."

A blush covered Merlin's face.

"I'm feeling better n- ugn! Fuck, right there. I'm feeling better now," Merlin stuttered, thrown further into a veil of pleasure. "Please, Arthur! I'll _die _if you don't go faster."

Just like that, Arthur stopped thrusting altogether, causing Merlin to whine once more.

Arthur smirked. "You'll _die _if I don't fuck you faster?"

Merlin nodded his head frantically before resting his forehead on the arm of the sofa, his bottom still sticking in the air connecting the two boyfriends. Merlin moved his own hands to cover Arthur's, who's were grasping Merlin's hips.

"Arthur," Merlin whimpered. "We haven't had sex for two and a half days. You usually fuck me three or four times _daily, _and the quickies you pull me into the bathroom for at school don't even count. Now, what would our friends say if I told them that you weren't up to par? Especially Gwaine? Now, if you don't want to be hummilated in front of our friends, I suggest you give it to me hard and rough..."

Arthur growled lowly and licked his lips, feeling even more horny than he thought was possible. Sure, Arthur loved being the one in command when it came to the bedroom. It was just one of his kinks, and Merlin definitely didn't mind it at all. But there was something about the tone of voice Merlin had used the moment before that made Arthur feel like drooling. Or just simply complying to Merlin's wishes.

"Alright," Arthur said in a lust filled voice before pulling out of Merlin completely. Merlin shot him a confused look over his shoulder. Arthur just grinned viciously as he grabbed Merlin and managed to quickly hoist him over his shoulder. "If it's gonna be hard and rough, then I want it to be on our bed so I can look at your face when you fall apart."

He felt Merlin shiver in his arms, causing him to smirk in victory. He carried the lighter boy briskly towards the bedroom, not wanting to leave him unsatisfied for too long. Once at the bed, he deposited Merlin into the middle of the mattress and quickly settled himself in between the milky, white thighs. He laced their fingers together and pinned Merlin's hands above his head before aligning himself once more with Merlin's body and thrusting back inside the delicious heat.

His pace was hard and rough, just like Merlin had wanted. Every thrust of his hips sent shocks of pleasure up his own body as well as Merlin's, making his boyfriend squeeze his hands tightly and let out loud cries of ecstasy.

For a few moments, Arthur's lust-addled brain took the time to be thankful for the thick walls they had. Surely if the walls weren't as thick as they were, the neighbors would be able to hear the headboard rapidly banging against the wall and Merlin screaming in pleasure every time they had sex. After all, Merlin was a very vocal bed partner, but Arthur loved it. Loved it when Merlin choked on his name before he found release. Loved it when Merlin moaned filthy things from his innocent looking lips as Arthur sucked him off.

Then again, Arthur was yet to find something that he _didn't_ love about his boyfriend.

Though the sex had been hurried and desperate, Arthur still placed a bruising kiss to Merlin's lips as the raven-haired boy arched his back and allowed his eyes to flutter shut as his orgasm hit him.

"I love you," Arthur whispered hotly against the pink lips before his own body shuddered and he came with a groan. White stars danced in his vision as he emptied the rest of his seed into his boyfriend's willing body, slumping on top of him as his limbs turned to jelly.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence, both coming down from their highs and catching their breath. Merlin placed a light kiss to Arthur's sweaty forehead as the bigger boy gently pulled out, catching a brief glimpse of his juices running out of Merlin's hole onto the sheets below them.

He flopped down onto the bed, pulling Merlin against his chest. He ran a hand through the black, sweaty locks and pressed deep kisses to Merlin's pretty lips. Arthur broke away with a concerned expression as he felt Merlin shaking in his arms. He knew he had been rough, but he didn't think he had hurt him.

"Did I hurt you, sweetheart?" Arthur asked sincerely, only to replace the look of concern with one confusion as he realized the shaking had not been from Merlin crying. It had been from Merlin _laughing. _"Uh, what's so funny?"

Merlin looked at him with a twinkle in his blue eyes as he got control of his silent laughing fit.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps you were right yesterday. Maybe I _should _get sick more often. It seems to make your bedroom skills skyrocket."

Arthur threw his head back and laughed before mercilessly tickling his boyfriend. Merlin squealed and giggled as he begged Arthur to stop. Arthur smiled at him as he complied, splashing quick kisses all over Merlin's face.

"I love you, Arthur," Merlin sighed as he snuggled into Arthur's chest.

"I love you too, precious," Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear, snuffling at the soft skin behind it. "In sickness and in health."

**XOXOXOXO**

**Thanks for reading! Honestly, I'm not really happy with this one shot cuz it's not one of my better pieces of writing. The only reason I even wrote it was because I was sick the other day and I stayed home. So the Merlin part of my brain said, 'Hey, I wonder how Arthur would take care of Merlin if he were sick!' And thus, this happened, cheesy ending and all. But thanks again for reading! I have plenty more Merlin stories that I am working on, so stay tuned for those!**


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